Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan is likely to face rough weather from his own community after the state Home Ministry’s decision to reopen cases related to Kapu reservation movement. It has decided to appeal the withdrawal of those cases in the High Court.
It may be recalled that the previous YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s government had withdrawn all the cases related to the Kapu reservation movement. To this extent, a GO was released in February 2022.
It is known that the Kapus had staged a large-scale movement during the Chandrababu Naidu government to provide them with reservation. Chandrababu had promised during the 2014 general elections that if they came to power, they would provide reservation to the Kapus.
Protesting the non-implementation of that promise, the people of that community, led by prominent Kapu leader and former minister Mudragada Padmanabham, staged a large-scale movement at that time. A huge public meeting was organized in Tuni, East Godavari district.
Large-scale riots broke out during the Tuni meeting. The Ratnachal train was also set on fire during these riots. Keeping this in mind, the police registered cases against those involved in the riots. Cases were registered under different sections in various police stations.
Cases related to the Kapu reservation movement were also registered after the Tuni public meeting. Several cases were registered in connection with incidents such as burning a train in Tuni and attacks on the local police station.
After 2019, after the formation of the YSR Congress Party government, in the first phase, the government had withdrawn the cases related to the Tuni public meeting, train burning, and attacks on the police station. The government had issued a GO in this regard in July 2020 itself.
The Home Ministry had later issued orders withdrawing all the cases registered from January 2016 to 2019, when the Tuni public meeting took place. It has announced that not only the cases related to the Tuni incident but also all the cases related to the Kapu reservation movement across the state have been withdrawn.
It said that 161 cases have been registered till March 2019. The cases were registered in L Polavaram, Katrenikona, Ravulapalem, Kothapeta, Atreyapuram, P Gannavaram, Rajolu, Nagaram, Malikipuram, Bikkavolu, and Lalapet police stations of Guntur district and they were withdrawn.
It is reported that the Chandrababu government has decided to appeal against all of them. The government has issued orders to appeal against the verdict given to dismiss the cases against Kapu activists. The Home Ministry has recently issued orders directing the Public Prosecutor to appeal in the High Court.
Pawan Kalyan, who belongs to the Kapu community, is currently a key partner in the AP government. His own community is likely to bring pressure on his against this decision.